U.S. general vows to annihilate IS in Afghanistan

In January this year, when the United States announced a travel ban on Syrian refugees, Khan said that the U.S. must impose one on Pakistan as well. Only an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned politically negotiated solution can lead to sustainable peace in that country. But what now? Trump, convinced by the foreign policy establishment and brushing off the advice of his now-ousted strategist Steve Bannon, is expanding the very war he once so strongly criticized.

The panelists included former central Media Coordinator PML-N Muhammad Mahdi, former additional foreign secretary Nazir Hussain, Dean and Head of the Department Political Science University of Punjab Prof Dr Rasheed Ahmed Khan and Defence Strategy Expert Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Anwar Mahmood Khan.

Abandoning those strategies, Trump said he intends to hand over prosecution of the war to his generals.

Nicholson had particular praise for Afghanistan's commandos and special forces known as Ktah Khas, saying they had yet to lose a battle and plans were being made to double their size.

As per the specifics of Trump's new policy, much has yet to be divulged. The third part was India's role in the Indo-Pacific region and support for expansion of India's role and influence in the region.

Asked what steps India could take and if Tillerson was linking a solution on Kashmir with Pakistan-Afghanistan, Nauert said the USA views the whole strategy and the handling of Afghanistan as being a regional strategy, and that incorporates India as well as Pakistan.

He said Pakistan should send a strong message back to Washington and the best way to do that is through the platform of the parliament.

Matters of professional interest with special focus on security situation in Afghanistan were discussed during the meeting about new United States policy, the ISPR statement added.

"We consider the lives of the people of other countries as sacred as the lives of our own people, which is why we have not let our resources be used against our neighbours", he later said.

Prime Minister Abbasi has yet to respond to the shift in U.S. stance, the report noted. Tillerson, according to the Foreign Office, accepted the invitation. However, nothing drastic will ensue right after these statements. "It is highly unlikely we will allow Blackwater to replace USA -led global forces", a high-ranking government member told The Media Line on condition of anonymity, adding that "this would not work". "We will use our integrated military, political, and economic efforts to promote stability in the region", said the top White House official.

A key plank of US President Donald J. Trump's new strategy to turn around the 16-year conflict in Afghanistan will probably falter for a reason few of his voters would realize: China. Khan also slammed the United States for its flawed and failed Afghan policies and said that Pakistan must reject being a scapegoat for U.S. failures.

So that country's statements must be taken with a grain of salt.

"No country in the world has suffered more than Pakistan from the scourge of terrorism, often perpetrated from outside our borders".

"It's nothing new for USA leaders to vow to get Pakistan to change its ways", said Michael Kugelman, a senior associate for South Asia at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center.